


Unspoken Nightmares

by Cry3TearsLikeJ3T



Category: One Piece
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27828910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cry3TearsLikeJ3T/pseuds/Cry3TearsLikeJ3T
Summary: Luffy was never the same after Marineford. Everyone knew this. Nobody could experience something as traumatic as that and be come out the same person.However, this didn't mean that Luffy didn't try to hide this when he spent countless nights being swarmed with harsh memories and nightmares.Fortunately for him, one night and person was about to free him of this pain.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro
Comments: 5
Kudos: 89





	Unspoken Nightmares

The feeling that washed over Luffy was like a familiar stranger passing by. Too distant to identify and truly know but familiar enough that you knew whether it was trouble or not. In this case, the stranger was looking to bring down the ever positive and stubborn Captain. Not in a fight or any physical way, no, this stranger was far more devious than that. They wanted to attack from the inside, get up close and personal and make things as ugly as they could manage.

And this feeling came for Luffy when he was sleeping peacefully, only showing itself in the darkest hours and when he was alone. It came and filled him with dread and anxiety before showing him the same images and words over and over again.

_Thank you…for loving me._

Luffy bolted upright, his chest rapidly rising and falling as he brought a hand to his heart. He felt as though his heart was about to burst it was beating so fast. His breathing was erratic and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t settle it, he simply didn’t any control as his whole body shook.

Though as panicked as he was, he wasn’t scared because this had happened before. And he knew exactly what to do.

He shifted in his hammock and leant over the side, looking below for his first mate, who strangely enough, wasn’t there. _Now_ Luffy felt scared.

This was troubling as Zoro was always sleeping and so he was always in bed at the first chance he got. And there was also the fact that the two had an unspoken rule that meant that Luffy was free to clamber in beside the older boy whenever felt like it, though Zoro wasn’t aware, as far Luffy knew anyway, the true reason for why he craved his company in the night.

So, Luffy decided to climb down as silently as possible and leave the room in order to find the missing swordsman.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too hard for Luffy to find him as the moment he stepped out onto the deck, he spotted Zoro standing at the front of the ship. 

Luffy didn’t waste any time before rushing over to Zoro, who was staring out at the sea with his arms crossed. The swordsman turned to look at Luffy once he appeared beside him, and it was clear that he could see the distress that his captain was experiencing from just one look, his calm aura and expression shifting into one of concern.

“Hey, you ok?” Zoro asked, and for once, Luffy had no words as he simply shook his head, his body shaking from both the cool air and his troubled thoughts.

And this change in behaviour didn’t go unnoticed as Zoro’s arms dropped to his sides and he took a step forward, which kicked Luffy’s body into action as he instinctively rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his other half. 

Luffy hated how his body shook uncontrollably before Zoro wrapped his own stronger arms around him, the touch alone serving as an effective sedative.

Neither said a word as Luffy buried his head in Zoro’s chest, hoping that those evil thoughts and memories would disappear once more now that he was in his safest place.  
However, they only seemed to get worse in that dreadful silence. All he could hear were those final and choked words, all he could feel was that loss of touch and everything was just so bloody and _painful_.

Though despite Luffy’s growing unrest, his breathing becoming more and more rapid as tears began to emerge in his eyes, there was a counteract for it. The warm and comforting feeling of Zoro’s hand slowly sliding up and down the captain’s back helped relieve the tight feeling inside his chest, even if his breathing remained uneven and the tears still threatened to break free.

Luffy wasn’t sure if he could’ve dealt with such an episode without Zoro’s comfort. It was so overwhelming and infuriating to not have any control over his mind. Being forced to relieve the reality of his worst nightmare and hear those words, it wasn’t something Luffy would ever forget or truly overcome. He knew he would move on from Ace’s absence, he had to because he wasn’t one to look back, but he’d never forget the pain that came with it. And it was precisely because of this that he felt grateful to have somebody to lean on.

He even almost thought he’d make it out that night without having to shed any tears or to let Zoro know what had been troubling him on most night, but he should’ve known that was wishful thinking at that point. It was then that a new image came to him, one that broke down every wall he’d put up.

Luffy saw himself standing on that cliffside with his two brothers and he heard them make their promises. It tore through Luffy with ease, his knees buckling underneath him and his body crumpling. Zoro had barely managed to keep the two up before he too sank to his knees, his grip on his captain never relenting as Luffy let out a loud and pained sob.

“I miss my brother!” 

Zoro’s grip tightened as Luffy’s cries continued to grow louder and more violent by the second. It was all he could do at the time.

“I want my big brother back, it’s not fair!” 

Every cry and every word felt like it was tearing a piece from Luffy’s heart, but at the same time, it felt so freeing and like an enormous weight had been lifted. It hurt so much to say such thing knowing they were pointless pleas, but finally letting somebody know and hear about his agony, it was a feeling unlike any other. And it felt so much more relieving when Zoro finally spoke, showing that this wasn’t something he had to go through alone.

“I know, I know how it feels to lose somebody you care about, you just want to blame yourself and lash out, but you can’t, you can’t let anybody see that because they won’t look at you the same, you’ll just become somebody to pity, so you just hide it until you can’t take it,” Zoro said, his voice sounding like it was just barely keeping it together.

“But you’re not me, so I won’t let you go through it the way I did, you won’t do this alone.” 

And Luffy felt those words hit deep within him as he knelt there, letting out and exposing every vulnerable part of him. He needed to hear that somebody understood and that they’d be there for him, it was crucial and Zoro knew this better than anyone. Luffy’s greatest fear was being alone.

Eventually though, Luffy cried himself out of tears, leaving him a sniffing, teary eyed mess as he looked up to Zoro, who was clearly trying his best to hide his own teary eyes.

“Promise you won’t leave me?” Luffy said, even if he knew deep down that another promise like that wasn’t guaranteed. He just needed something to fill that empty space. 

But still, Zoro smiled at this before nodding.

“I promise, I mean, what kind of first mate would I be if I wasn’t by my captain’s side at all times? Now how about we get some sleep?” Zoro said, and Luffy nodded.

“Can I stay with you?”

“Sure, I don’t think I can sleep without you anymore anyway.”

The two then quietly stood up and made their way back into the boy’s quarter, trying their best not to awaken anybody. Though neither knew that the whole crew had awoken earlier and had rushed to check on their captain outside but had decided to leave him be once they’d seen that Zoro had him. 

They climbed into Zoro’s hammock, squashing themselves in side by side, before the swordsman wrapped his arms around once more around his captain. There was finally peace as Luffy calmed the last of his worries, using his fingers to play with Zoro’s earrings. He’d always found them to be the most effective and entertaining method to send himself to sleep with.

And finally, despite there being a million more things he’d need to talk about and come to terms with, Luffy’s smile returned to him as his eyes closed and he remained in the arms of his truest and closest love.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll never get over Ace and I'll never get over the trauma and pain that Luffy will have to carry with him. There's no way he doesn't think about it or have nightmares and I just want somebody to hold him and let him cry it out again!
> 
> Also go listen to Space by Biffy Clyro because it's my ZoLu anthem right now and every word is perfect for the two's time a part during the time skip!


End file.
